For The Reason Of Temporary Insanity
by Crossroadswritng
Summary: There's a mystery in Gotham. When the Hawthorne girls meet the Bat Family, how will Gotham cope? Warning this is an AU. This story contains original female characters. DG/OFC TD/OFC JT/OFC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hello everyone! We are Crossroads and we decided to write a little something something. This is our first work and it is on multiple sites. We hope you enjoy our story!**

With a loud clatter, Rhyss burst into the room, tripping and falling to the floor. In her rush the data pad that she was holding in her hands slid across the floor, finally coming to a halt at the feet of her older sister, Hailey. With an amused grin, Hailey leaned down and picked up the pad as Lucilla helped Rhyss up off the floor. Smiling sheepishly at Lucilla's look of inquiry, she reached out and unlocked the pad.

"I was listening to the police scanner, and heard about a strange death. I was wondering if you guys wanted to go check it out?" Rhyss asked, excited.

Hailey looked over at Lucilla, an unasked question in her eyes. Rolling her eyes and grinning, Lucilla nodded.

"I guess. I'll come along to keep you two out of trouble."

Sitting behind the steering wheel of her car, Hailey found herself having a hard time concentrating on the road. Looking in the rearview mirror she saw Rhyss excitedly chattering about school, and Lucilla smiling and laughing in the passenger seat, she was reminded of the day they all met.

" _Hailey? Come meet your little sisters."_

 _Pouting, Hailey crossed her arms. "I don't want a little sister. Much less two of them!"_

 _Turning and stamping her foot, Hailey glared at the little girl hiding behind her mother's leg. "It was supposed to be you, daddy and me. They're not supposed to be here!"_

 _The eldest of little girls flinched and ducked further behind Hailey's mothers legs. Hailey felt a brief flash of regret, but it was quickly snuffed out by anger and fear._

 _She knew that it was irrational, to be angry and afraid of a girl younger than her and a baby, but she was worried that her parents would love them more than her._

 _Looking at her husband, Alicia Hawthorne motioned with her head out of the room. Taking the hint, Eric kneeled down and whispered something in the little girl's ear. Looking at her smile, which spread across her face faster than light, Hailey glared harder, getting angrier. As she watched them walk out of the room, she failed to notice her mother sitting down on an armchair next to her._

" _Hailey. What's wrong? You were so excited just a few days ago. What's changed?" Alicia asked gently._

 _Feeling frustrated tears start to form in her eyes, Hailey gritted her teeth. How could she not know? Wasn't it obvious? Turning her back to her mother, Hailey sat down heavily onto the ground, crossing her arms._

" _Hailey. Answer me." Alicia's voice grew a bit sterner. Shaking her head stubbornly, Hailey refused to speak. Alicia sat there, letting the silence draw out until Hailey was squirming in her seat._

" _I don't want you to forget me."_

 _Hailey's voice was so quiet, Alicia very nearly missed her words. Her face softening, she slid out of her chair and onto the ground, sitting beside her daughter._

" _Why would you think that we'd ever forget you?"_

 _Turning to look at her mother, Hailey felt her tears start to fall down her cheeks. "What if you decide that you like them better? What if you don't want me anymore?"_

 _Looking at her daughter in shock, Alicia felt her throat tightening. Wrapping her arms around Hailey, she pulled her into her lap, resting her cheek against the top of her head._

" _I could never forget you, little one. You're my little penguin, remember? And you will always be my daughter."_

 _Looking up at her mother, Hailey swallowed back her tears and said, "Do you promise?"_

 _Leaning down and rubbing her nose against Hailey's, Alicia whispered, "I promise. Now, what do you say we go join Daddy and your sisters for some ice cream?"_

 _He face brightening instantly, Hailey cheered. "With rainbow sprinkles?"_

 _Alicia laughed. "Yes, with rainbow sprinkles."_

Feeling a soft touch to her arm, Hailey looked over at Lucilla's worried gaze. Smiling reassuringly, Hailey turned back to the road.

"Take a right at the next corner." Rhyss's quiet voice rang out in the silent car, causing Hailey to jump, having forgotten that she was there. Turning right, she parked where Rhyss told her to, and sat back in her seat, feeling the familiar tingle that meant that an unsettled spirit was nearby.

Taking a deep breath, Hailey opened the door, feeling the tingle intensify as she stepped out of the car. Looking around, she waited for Lucilla and Rhyss to get out of the car and then locked the door. Walking in the direction that Rhyss indicated, the tingle got steadily stronger, until it felt like her stomach was buzzing.

Looking down the lit alley, Hailey stopped and turned.

"Guys, I need to talk to him. Make a distraction."

Rhyss looked at her, a knowing smile on her face. "I know. Why do you think I made Lu wear a tank top?"

Lucilla smacked her sister and glared.

Hailey shook her head, chuckling. Rhyss looked at Lucilla, and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her in the direction of the two policemen, calling out a hello.

Hailey ducked underneath the crime scene tape, looking over her shoulder at Rhyss, who was explaining about what she was doing in school, and asking if they were okay with questions. Lucilla, on the other hand, was giving one of the officers a sweet smile. She was showing off her extensive amount of tattoos.

Walking quickly over to the dead man, Hailey started to whisper to herself, "I got this. I got this."  
Leaning down, she touched the man's forehead gently after a long moment of hesitation. With a gasp, his eyes opened and he stared at her, shocked.

"What are you doing," she heard a deep voice say from behind her. Spinning around with a gasp, she stared wide-eyed as she came face-to-face with Batman, Robin, and Nightwing.  
"I-I, uh."

From behind her, Hailey heard the dead man start gasping. Throwing a frantic look in her sister's direction she turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Dark Knight didn't stop her; which could mean one of two things. He was actually shocked that a dead man was talking, or he was curious.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked calmly.

"I-I don't know. I couldn't see anything. It just became really dark." the dead man whispered wetly.  
Frowning, Hailey looked the man's hand. "What do you remember hearing?" she asked kindly a trusting aura flowing off of her.

"There was nothing. It was just silent. Now that I think of it, it was like all noise was gone." Hailey's eyebrows rose, surprised. Silence? In the middle of Gotham?

"Hailey, we don't have much more time," Hailey heard Rhyss whisper from her ear piece. Cursing inwardly, Hailey smiled at the man and squeezed his hand,  
"What's your name?"

"Jamieson. Jamieson Reynolds."  
Placing her hand on the top of his head, Hailey smiled. "You've done well Jamieson. Sleep now. It'll be okay when you wake up."

Closing his eyes, Jamieson's chest started to rise and fall slower and slower, until finally it was still.

Standing up, Hailey groaned as her knees creaked in protest. Stretching, she winced as she felt the exhaustion setting into her bones.

"Did you get anything from your dead friend?" Hailey turned to the voice; Nightwing.

Hailey snorted. "I could get more information from a snapple cap," she deadpanned. "You're a metahuman." another voice said curiously. It was Robin. "Hails! You okay, did you get- shit." Rhyss said running over. Lucilla wasn't far behind, "Busted." she sang.

Exchanging a look with Lucilla, Rhyss turned to Batman and said, "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, may I help you gather evidence? I'm studying to be a CSI myself, and I feel like it would be very educational."

Blinking down at her, it struck Hailey that Batman looked, almost... surprised. Like he hadn't been expecting that. Nodding slowly, he sighed and swept a hand to the side. Smiling brightly, Rhyss grabbed Robin's hand, dragging him and Lucilla with her, leaving Nightwing, Hailey and Batman standing there, staring after her. Looking at Hailey, Batman slowly walked in the direction that the others had gone, leaving Hailey and Nightwing standing there, the silence and night stretching long between them.

 **A/N: Thanks guys! This is our first chapter and we hope you like it. Be kind and R &R, no flames please! -Crossroads**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey guys! Here's chapter two! Please enjoy and Review at the end if you can!**

Rhyss looked up from her datapad to see Hailey and Nightwing staring at each other awkwardly. Rolling her eyes and sighing, she turned back to the puddle of blood she had been looking at.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" She heard a new voice say from behind her. Not bothering to look, she said, "Do you ever know what you're doing, Red Hood?"

Reaching into her backpack and pulling out a DNA swab, Rhyss carefully took a DNA sample, placing it delicately into an evidence bag that she had also pulled out. Lucilla raised an eyebrow, causing Rhyss to cock her head to the side in confusion.

"What?"

Lucilla opened her mouth, then shook her head, grinning. "What the hell do you even have in that backpack?"

Grinning, Rhyss winked, a knowing smile on her face. "Everything I know that I'll need."

Hearing footsteps coming up behind her, Rhyss turned her head and looked up into the dark impassive eyes of one of Gotham's heroes.

"Yes? Can I help you?" She said hesitantly. Batman tilted his head as he looked at her, before turning and walking over to some of the scratches on the ground. Turning back to the blood pool, she looked at Robin, who was standing over her watching Batman walk off. "Is he always like that? All imposing and shit?"

Snorting, Robin grinned down at her. "You get used to it. And I feel like you will," he said, winking at her.

Rhyss blushed, standing quickly, turning to go look at the body. Reaching into the front pocket of her bag, Rhyss glanced over at Hailey and Nightwing, who were talking quietly while looking at the blood spatter on the alley walls.

Pulling out a syringe, Rhyss winced as she slid it into Jamieson's arm. After drawing a blood sample, she capped and placed the syringe in a plastic carrying case, writing down the date and Jamieson's name before sealing and placing it in her backpack. Hesitating, she reached out and placed a hand on his forehead, closing her eyes and mouthing a prayer before standing. Reaching into her bag, Rhyss pulled out the camera Lucilla had gotten her for her birthday. Looking around, she spotted Batman and Robin talking quietly, gesturing towards her.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she walked over to them, calling out, "Hey boys. What's up?"

Turning around, Robin grinned, chuckling. "Just talking about how professional you look," he said, looking her over quickly. Raising an eyebrow, Rhyss shook her head and smiled, looking down to cover the blush on her cheeks.

As she was looking down, Rhyss saw something rather surprising. The smile fell off her face slowly, and she kneeled down, stretching out a hand to touch the deep scratches on the ground. "What the hell?" Looking around, she saw more of them, some deeper, some more shallow. Raising her camera, Rhyss started taking pictures, pulling out her ruler to measure them as well. As Robin kneeled down next to her, pulling out a package of plaster mix, Rhyss looked at him in surprise.

"You're not the only detective here darlin'," Robin said, winking at her.

Holding out her hand to him, she smiled as he shook it. "Neryssa Hawthorne, but everybody calls me Rhyss. A pleasure to meet you, Robin."

Robin grinned at her and started mixing up the plaster.

"Hawthorne? As in Alicia and Eric Hawthorne?" She heard from behind her. Turning, she saw Batman looking at her in interest.

"Yeah. They were our parents." Rhyss said, feeling her throat tightening as she thought of her parents. "They passed away about three years ago. Hailey's been taking care of us since."

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Rhyss turned her head and saw Robin looking at her in concern. "I'm sorry," he said, tightening his grip on her shoulder. Swallowing, Rhyss shook her head, smiling.

"It's all right. Can you make a plaster cast of that scratch for me as well? I'm gonna go take some more pictures." Standing, Rhyss turned and walked over to Jamieson's body, wiping away tears that had managed to escape. As she was taking pictures, Lucilla joined her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Rhyss refocused and started to quickly and efficiently photograph the body, the blood pool, and the blood spatter. As she was kneeling down, she saw an object underneath a nearby dumpster. Standing, she walked over to the dumpster, leaned down, and reached under, pulling it out. Pulling out a flashlight, she turned it on and shone it on the object, which turned out to be a wallet. Opening it, she felt a pang of sadness, as she saw a picture of Jamieson and a woman, both smiling at the camera. _I wonder if he was married,_ Rhyss thought to herself, glancing over at the dead man.

Placing the wallet in an evidence bag, she walked over to Batman. "Here, you might want to take a look at this." She handed him the bag and yawned. Looking around, she walked over to the wall and sat down and closed her eyes. Thinking over everything she had learned throughout the night.

Jamieson had said that it had been completely silent, and while that in itself was strange, he had said that it was also very dark. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes and looked around the crime scene. With the street lamp at either end and the lights dotting the walls, even without the floodlights, the alley was very well lit. And it was Gotham, so it didn't make sense that it would be silent and dark. Thinking about it, she started wondering who could have killed Jamieson. Rhyss looked up as someone joined her, sitting down beside her. She was surprised to see that it was Robin, who didn't say anything.

"Something's wrong." She said. Robin looked over at her, waiting for her to continue. "Jamieson said that everything became dark and silent. But Gotham's the exact opposite. I can't think of a single place where you don't hear anything in Gotham, much less in the middle of it."

Robin nodded, looking around. "And I find it surprising that nobody heard anything. He had to have screamed, given his defensive wounds."

Rhyss nodded, then sighed, shaking her head. "I'm too tired to think anymore. I need coffee." Looking over at Robin, she smiled. "Wanna join me? We can try to brainstorm some more."

Robin grinned and stood up, holding his hand out to help her up. Taking it, Rhyss stood up. Telling Hailey and Lucilla where they were going, she walked out of the alley. Chancing a glance up, Rhyss thought she saw someone on the rooftops across the street, but as she blinked, they were gone, leaving her to look at the moon, shining bright, the only witness to the terrible crime.

 **A/N Next chapter will be up soon! Please R n' R! Reviews mean love!**


	3. Chapter 3

Lucilla watched as Robin and Rhyss left for a cup of crack - caffeine. Smirking at the fact, she turned and looked at Red Hood. He didn't seem to care about the gruesome scene before him. He just sat there and played with one of his pistols.

"Why didn't he do anything?" Lucilla found herself asking suddenly. Hood looked up and tilted his head to the side. She couldn't see his face but she knew he was smirking.

"That was his way of being...stunned? Surprised? Curious? Eh, I guess all of the above." He said casually, waving his gun around. Lucilla raised an eyebrow,

"Well, I guess what Hailey can do is...weird? Unnatural? Something you don't see every day?" she mimicked. Hood gave a short laugh and glanced over at Lucilla's sister. Who was currently talking to Nightwing about her power.

"I never got your name. Red Hood," he said introducing himself. Lucilla smirked,

"Lucilla Hawthorne."

"What else can she do?" a dark stern voice asked from behind her. Lucilla glanced at the Dark Knight and thought carefully about her words.

"Hailey is complex. She can, for a short time, talk to the dead." she finally replied after a few minutes. She wasn't lying, but she sure as hell wasn't gonna give him the whole truth. Lucilla glanced over at her sister with a worried gaze. She could tell Hailey was exhausted. The young woman was leaning against the semi-clean alley wall trying to keep up a conversation with the first boy wonder.

"Why did you come to the crime scene?" Batman shot at her. Lucilla chuckled and tilted her head in his direction,

"A healthy dose of curiosity. And a sister who enjoys the police scanner a little too much," she said crossing her arms. Batman looked at her in his stern brooding way before heading toward the victim.

Sending a few more worried glances toward her sister, Lucilla closed her eyes. To a normal person, it looked as if she were blinking. But in reality, she was talking to her familiars. A light tingle rippled across her back.

' _Gideon. Go to Hailey, watch out for her.'_

Lucilla felt the small of her back get warm as the wolf left her body. Guaranteed Gideon was safe on her sister's back.

Opening her eyes, Lucilla sighed. The night air started to become colder, Lucilla wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Her breath came out in white puffs, and the sound of a car made her head snap to the mouth of the alley. The commissioner arrived with the medical examiner.

Gordon gave Lucilla a look. When he opened his mouth to ask who the hell she was, Batman shook his head. Gordon raised an eyebrow before walking over to the Dark Knight and lighting his pipe.

Lucilla watched as the Medical examiner carted Jamieson away. The poor man didn't have a chance. Cold to the bone, and neck slit ear to ear. Lucilla took out her cell and quickly typed in Jamieson's information.

' _Should send his wife some flowers…'_ she thought sadly before shoving the device into her jeans.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucilla caught Hailey excuse herself and stumble out of the alley. Frowning Lucilla started to follow but was stopped by Hood as they watched Nightwing walking quickly after her.

'I hope she's okay' she thought. Then an idea coursed through her. Clearing her mind, Lucilla raised her arm a fraction. A pitch black raven morphed out of her skin. With it perched on her arm, she sent it in the air.

' _Keep an eye on things_.'

The bird croaked in reply before flying off. Lucilla looked over toward the bat clan, Batman and the Commissioner were at the darker end of alley going over evidence. Red Hood, on the other hand, was staring at her very intently.

' _Well shit. Didn't think that one through.'_ Lucilla thought bitterly. "So you can do cool shit too. Should have guessed." He said with a laugh. Lucilla rolled her eyes and didn't grace him with a comment.

Lucilla's mind began to drift. She could remember when things were easier.

 _Lucilla laughed at Rhyss's stupid joke as they walked across Central City University._

" _Okay, next we're going to the art building! Guaranteed to be your favorite!" Rhyss said dramatically. She opened the door to the grand building letting Lucilla in first._

" _So is Hails at the cemetery?" Rhyss asked sadly biting her lip. Lucilla lowered her eyes and drew a hand through her hair._

" _Yeah. She wanted to be alone for a little while," she said quietly as they moved through the galleries. Rhyss stopped in one gallery,_

"This I know you will love! This is where our graffiti artists run wild!" she said grinning wildly

 _. Lucilla laughed and looked at the art happily,_

" _You kno-" she started but was cut off by a flash of light and a boom. The shockwave sliced through the building, it shattered windows and sent both Lucilla and Rhyss flying._

 _Lucilla landed painfully against the wall into a tower of combustible spray paint. While Rhyss flew through the glass into the server room. Which electrified, sending sparks into her body._

 _It wasn't until later, when she woke up in the hospital, that Lucilla found out that she and her sister had been struck simultaneously by lightning. And it was even later that she found out what she could do._

 _Hailey still refused to talk about what happened to her that day. Neither Lucilla or Rhyss ever knew, or asked, feeling that they may not have wanted to know, especially if it had scared their sister so badly._

Lucilla blinked herself back to present day. She rubbed her hands together to warm them. It was colder than it should be, even for Gotham. The city; even before Hailey had her power, she knew the city had its ghosts and skeletons. And she couldn't help the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. A storm was coming.

A/N Hey guys, this was a shorter chapter but we will update again soon! Reviews are love! Please leave one?


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